Feature #9043

Add String#f method as shortcut for #freeze

We have String#b to create a binary-encoded String, and we have the "f" suffix (going away, hopefully) and the "literal".freeze optimization (#8992). I think it would be reasonable to add String#f as a shorter method for producing a frozen string.

If String#f is added the "literal".freeze optimization could be dropped in favor of "literal".f. This would provide something very close to the original "literal"f syntax but in a backward-compatibility-friendly way (class String; alias f freeze; end).

History

I feel really negatively about optimizing only String#f and not String#freeze. You could make the argument that it's backwards compatible, but in reality it means every bit of code that wants to use this optimization needs to monkey patch its own String#f.

Otherwise I support adding String#f as an alias for String#freeze and removing f-suffix syntax.

The change to optimize String#freeze has landed for #8992, which compiler-optimizes String#freeze. The only remaining decision is whether to also add #f with the same optimization.

matz likes the idea of String#f. I'm happy either way, since #8992 landed, but a shorter method would be nice. With String#f acting like "str"f, we'd only be one character more verbose than the original syntax.